Former UFC champion calls José Aldo's fight the toughest of his career

José Aldo returned from retirement with a victory at UFC 301. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

PUBLICITY:

Merab Dvalishvili has faced great challenges throughout his career, but he points to José Aldo as one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced. The former bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) faced the King of Rio in August 2022 and, on that occasion, won by unanimous decision . Despite the positive result, the Georgian revealed that the fight aroused conflicting feelings.

During an appearance on the 'Beyond The Win' podcast, Dvalishvili recalled the difficulty he had in imposing his game against Aldo, highlighting the excellent form the Brazilian was in at the time and his resistance to takedown attempts.

PUBLICITY:

“I’ll say José Aldo . He was in great shape at the time. He was coming off a three-fight winning streak in my weight class, and he was difficult to take down,” said Merab Dvalishvilli.

See too

Khamzat Chimaev ignores the lesson learned from Umar Nurmagomedov's UFC defeat.

Alex Poatan responds to Paulo Borrachinha's provocation and points the way forward in the UFC.

Everything changed! Khamzat Chimaev 'cancels' fight against Caio Borralho after revealing conversation with the UFC.

The Georgian also highlighted the deep respect he had for the former UFC champion and revealed that the victory had a special meaning because he was facing one of his great idols. According to Dvalishvili, the triumph brought happiness for the result, but also a feeling of sadness for having defeated a legend he admired.

PUBLICITY:

“I have a lot of respect for him. Back then, he was much, much more experienced compared to where I was. And so, yes, I beat him, and I was happy and sad at the same time because he’s a legend and a hero to me,” concluded the former champion.

Merab Dvalishvili could become UFC champion again.

Merab Dvalishvili has another big challenge ahead. The Georgian is scheduled to fight Petr Yan at UFC 333, in a trilogy against the Russian, and seeks to regain the bantamweight title (up to 61,2 kg) of the organization.

PUBLICITY: